Event: CBD Southern Indian Ocean Workshop to Facilitate Description of EBSAs [viewed]
This workshop is convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). It aims to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs), and will include one day of training on the application of EBSA criteria, as well as a four-day workshop. The workshop will include CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points in the Southern Indian Ocean region: Australia, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom.
11 May 2012: An informal ministerial meeting took place to address small island developing States’ (SIDS) position for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), on 9 May 2012, in Bridgetown, Barbados. Representatives of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) stressed a focus on “the day after Rio." Other delegates addressed issues relating to utilization of ocean resources; gender aspects of resource access; principles of rotation between Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea (AIMS), Pacific and Caribbean; and strengthening of governance structures.
May 2012: The May issue of the Indian Ocean-South East Asian (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) e-newsletter reports on turtle releases in Eritrea and capacity-building in Myanmar.
May 2012: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) has released the 2012 edition of its regional report the State of Arab Cities on the theme “Challenges of Urban Transition.” The report notes that, although urban slums are decreasing and urban innovations are being introduced, the region still faces major challenges, including high youth unemployment rates and climate change.
8 May 2012: An Informal Ministerial Roundtable on Climate Change brought together representatives from 30 countries, including from least developed countries (LDCs) and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), to build on the achievements of the Durban Climate Change Conference. The meeting, which was hosted by the EU, also provided an opportunity for Ministers to discuss the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
3 May 2012: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released two joint submissions from Parties containing their views on issues identified in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 72 and appendix II (FCCC/SBSTA/2012/MISC.1/Add.1) on policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+).
4 May 2012: The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) held meetings of the Pilot Program on Climate Resilience (PPCR) Sub-Committee, the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) Sub-Committee, the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) Trust Fund Committee, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Trust Fund Committee, and the Forest Investment Program (FIP) sub-Committee, and approved new projects on climate resilience, renewable energy and forests.
